Short stories about the lives of the residents of Camden Corners. A village in Upstate New York at the beginning of the 20th Century. You will meet old friends time and again and new friends and neighbors with each story. Share the many tales of love, romance, family and friends as well as a few mysteries thrown in for good measure.
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Thursday, January 26, 2012

A Mysterious Find~Part 2

On the
way to O'Sullivan's Pub, Sarah told him story after story of the
little shops and the people who owned them. He was interested in the
citizens of Camden Corners but wanted to learn more about the Lane
family and if they had ever returned to Camden Corners.

By the
time the corned beef and cabbage arrived at their table, Sarah and
Max both felt they had known each other all their lives.

He asked
about her family and how long the Lanes had been in Camden Corners.
She told him her Dad was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He
had come to Camden Corners right after graduation from normal school
and had been teaching at Camden High School ever since. Her mother
had lived here all her life. Max wondered aloud what brought Andrew
to Camden Corners and Sarah answered that he had relatives who had
lived here.

“His
great grandfather, Simon and his great great uncle, Caleb were
members of the community. It seems, Simon was shot and killed
protecting his brother from hoodlums who were passing through town.
Caleb set out to capture the thugs and bring them to justice but was
killed himself when he was trampled by a horse attempting to save a
young lady from the raging waters of the Patapsco River. Simon's
widow was so distraught over her husband's death, she died of a
broken heart two months later leaving her toddler twin sons alone in
the world. The twins were raised in an orphanage. One of those boys
was my great grandfather Charles Lane.”

All too
soon the evening ended. Max walked Sarah to her front door. He may
have tried to kiss her cheek but Marian was standing in the doorway.
Max thought he may have seen a rolling pin hidden behind her back.
He hoped it was only his imagination. That night, Sarah fell asleep
dreaming of her own happy ending with her very own Gilmartin Trent.

Max was
enjoying a tasty breakfast served by Mrs. Wharton at the boarding
house. He was the first tenant to arrive at the dining table. While
Mrs. Wharton was serving him his eggs and bacon he nonchalantly
mentioned the Lane Brothers.

Mrs.
Wharton suddenly became very quiet.

Finally,
she whispered “There is something very strange about that affair.
Everyone has been led to believe that those brothers were the salt of
the earth but when I was just a young lass, I heard my daddy and his
friends talking about the murder. There was a newspaper article that
told the story of the disappearance of the entire family, but it
hasn't been found in over 70 years. Someone has tried to cover up
something strange all these years. My daddy said Caleb Lane picked
up a floozy named Sylvia from the pub, married her and took her back
to his cabin. From that day on, sweet Miss Hannah had not been seen
again. From what I have heard, Miss Sylvia was not a one man
woman, if you know what I mean.”

Mrs.
Wharton paused to catch her breath and then went on. “You didn't
hear that from me. I'm not one to speak ill of the dead, but there
is something very strange about that whole thing. Why do you ask,
Maxwell?”

“Oh,
no reason, I just came upon the Lane name in one of the reference
books at the library. I also spent a delightful evening with Miss
Sarah Lane.”

As soon
as the words were out of his mouth, Max knew the very talkative Mrs.
Wharton would be sharing this tidbit of information with the whole
town.

Max had
an appointment with Robert Crowley. He needed an attorney in Camden
Corners if he was planing to stay here very long. His agent had
recommended Mr. Crowley to handle his business affairs. Max wanted
to keep his alter ego, J. K. Ellingsworth under wraps for the time
being. Max was impressed with Robert and felt certain he would be
trustworthy.

Max had
carried the newspaper clippings with him in his brief case and asked
Robert what he thought of it. He mentioned speaking to Mrs. Wharton
and what she said about the missing articles. Robert thought it was
very interesting. He had heard conflicting stories about the
incident through the years but the man to speak with would be his
dad, Oscar Crowley.